The present invention relates in general to a word information storage and retrieval device and, more particularly, to an electronic translator for providing efficient and rapid retrieval of any desired word or words stored therein.
In recent years, so called "electronic translator" devices have gained in popularity and have met with commercial success. These electronic translators typically include a first memory for storing a plurality of translated words which are retrieved in response to the introduction of a word by means of a keyboard device. For this purpose, a plurality of words, inclusive of the word to be entered, are also stored in a second memory, such words having a particular relation with the plurality of translated words. A sentence may be stored and addressed by similar techniques.
An example of such electronic translators was disclosed in Kehoe et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,536, June 26, 1979, "PORTABLE ELECTRONIC LANGUAGE TRANSLATION DEVICE". This patent disclosed memory means for containing many pairs of words and corresponding translated words, in which each pair including a word and translated word is coupled by using an address signal in association with the word forming the pair.
This storage system would be useful. However, there are still inherent problems of requiring considerably large storage capacity. Therefore, it is further desirable that words and translated words be stored within a memory the capacity of which is kept as small as possible.